Bodies of three young children found inside freezer in Florida

LIVE OAK, Fla. (WGFL) - The bodies of three children, ages 1, 4, and 6, have been recovered from a chest freezer that was left outside a home in rural Suwannee County, Florida.

Sheriff's deputies say they responded to a 911 call Sunday night after the caller told dispatchers the three children were found not breathing. All three children were taken to a hospital but deputies say resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful.

Deputies say the adults who were home at the time told them the children were playing in the yard when they climbed inside a chest freezer that had recently been left at the residence but was not plugged in. Witnesses told deputies the children climbed in when the adult female at home went inside the house to use the restroom. Deputies say the woman went back outside and couldn't find the children. They say she woke up another woman, who was preparing to work the night shift, and were searching the property when they opened the freezer and found the children inside not breathing.

Deputies say an after-market hasp used to secure a padlock had been installed on the freezer. They believe the lid closed on the children and the hasp fell shut, trapping the children in the freezer. There was not a padlock on the freezer.

Deputies say the Florida Department of Children and Families have been notified. They say foul play is not suspected at this time and that the case has been forwarded to the Third Judicial Circuit State Attorney's Office for review.